Length of stay: 2 days
Visited: November 2019
Haleakalā National Park was named after Haleakalā, a dormant shield volcano that forms more than three quarters of Maui. The park consists of two distinct areas: the summit district high up in the mountains (or rather, volcano), and the Kīpahulu district located along the coast. The landscape (and temperature) difference between the two areas is also very extreme, making for a unique hiking experience in both areas of the park.
Day 1: From mountains to jungle
We arrived in Maui yesterday afternoon after a long day of travelling (two flights, thirteen hours in transit, and a five hour time change). We woke up super early this morning with a lot of energy and excitement, which was great as we decided to spend the day hiking in Haleakalā National Park.
We started off in the summit area of the park, which features a rugged volcanic landscape with stunted vegetation. This area is particularly busy in the morning as it is renowned for its sunrises. So much so that visitors who wish to see the sunrise not only have to wake up very early and arrive at the park between 3 to 7a.m, but they also need to make a reservation for a couple months in advance to do so. Since we booked our trip to Maui a few weeks prior, the sunrise tickets were all sold out. The park does release a small number of sunrise tickets two days in advance, but we were unable to acquire any of these.
While we missed the sunrise, we didn’t miss any of the phenomenal views at the summit of Haleakalā. As we weaved and wove our way up the mountain, at around 7,000 ft of elevation gain or so, we were above the clouds.
We started off by hiking along the Halemau’u Trail (3.5km roundtrip). The trail leads through a shrubland to the rim of the valley below. It’s not quite clear where the trail actually ends, as the path itself continues down to the floor of Haleakalā crater and onwards. We turned around at the point where the trail switched into a series of shorter switchbacks that steeply made their way into the crater.
The weather can change quickly up here. We started our hike off with blue skies, but within minutes a thick layer of misty fog rolled in, only to clear up a bit later on our hike.
Located a short distance from here is a short path to the Leleiwi Overlook (0.5km roundtrip). The path leads to another nice viewpoint of the Haleakalā crater.
We continued our journey up to the summit where the Haleakalā Visitors Center is located at 10,000ft. From the visitors centre we hiked along the Pā Ka‘oao trail (0.64km roundtrip), to view ancient rock wall shelters as well as well as the inside of the crater.
There’s another popular trail that starts here, the Sliding Sands, but we planned to tackle that tomorrow.
After wrapping up our short hike we headed to the visitors centre to attend the ranger program about the Haleakalā volcano and history of how the Hawaiian Islands were formed.
At this point it was nearing lunch time. Since the only other hikes in the area were significantly longer and more challenging, we decided to drive to the coastal part of the park along the Kīpahulu district. Where it was also warmer and humid.
This district is accessible via the Hana Highway. Since we were already in the summit district, the shortest route, which is also the sketchiest route is to go west along the highway. The highway winds through an area with stunted vegetation and eventually leads to an unpaved portion where the sides of the road are littered with abandoned cars. Turns out this is the path least travelled. And for good reason.
There are two trails in the coastal district, and both originate from the same parking lot. We first hiked along the Pipiwai Trail (5.5km roundtrip) to get to the Waimoku Falls. The first portion of the hike leads through a forested area and provides glimpses of other waterfalls and natural features along the way.
One mile in the trail winds through a bamboo forest. Things start to get real muddy here. And we nearly turned around completely before even reaching the bamboo forest, but at the last minute, decided to trudge on through the mud. It was totally worth it. It also helps that the path does get better in certain areas as there are a series of boardwalks to walk along.
Once the bamboo forest ends, it’s a short remainder of the hike to Waimoku Falls. There’s a marker to signal the end of the hike, but people often go past this point up to the base of the waterfall. We turned back at this point since it looked like the trail gets even more muddy the closer you get to the waterfall.
We hiked back the way we came. Near the start of the trail we veered off at the turn to the Kuloa Point Trail (1.0km roundtrip), which is also known as the Seven Sacred Pools Trails (‘Ohe’o Gulch). The trail leads leads to an opening in the trees that provides stunning views of a series of waterfalls that trickle into a number of pools, eventually leading into the ocean.
With a limited amount of daylight left headed back home, driving along the legit part of the road to Hana. With narrow roads, one-way bridges, and many twists and turns, the drove back definitely kept us on the edge of our seats. Plus, there’s also the lovely views of the lush greenery and various waterfalls along the way.
Day 2: Sliding Sands
We woke up bright and early again and made the drive back to the summit district of Haleakalā National Park. This time we were dressed more appropriately (we wore pants) and were ready to spend the day hiking along the Sliding Sands Trail (17.8km roundtrip) into the Haleakalā crater.
There are various ways to hike this trail. You can hike one-way into the valley floor and over to Halemau’u where there is a designated “hiker pick-up” area to hitch a ride back to your car. Or, you can hike into the crater, turn around whenever, and hike the way you came in. We opted for the latter as the park wasn’t busy since we were visiting in the off season.
We were pretty cold at the start of the hike all the way up at the summit. But, the further we descended into the crater, the more protection we had from the wind. There was zero protection from the sun though.
It was dangerously easy winding our way down to the crater floor. Especially since the views of the cinder cones and Mars-like landscape were simply stunning along the way. At 6.3km in the path leads to the valley floor. We continued walking along this, pausing for a snack when we reached the junction for the path that leads to Halemau’u or Kapaloa.
We strolled along the path to Kapaloa, turning around once the path started to ascend. We’d have enough uphill on our return journey to the car and wanted to conserve my energy (and water). This turned out to be a good call as, let me tell you, I was a huffin’ and a puffin’ with even the slightest bit of elevation gain. It’s the altitude! It took nearly three times as long to walk back up than it did down.
Eventually we made our way back up to the summit, after taking many breaks to rest, reapply sunscreen, and drink lots of water. It was a strenuous day of hiking, but the views along the way were well worth the effort.
L
Always meant to do some hiking in the crater when we were on Maui for a wedding about 6 years ago, but never got enough time to do it. We did get to the top for the sunrise and then cycled our way back down the mountain. It was a fabulous day, once the sunrise hypothermia passed. Never pictured being cold in Hawaii. Thanks for sharing. Allan
You are brave. On our drive up to the summit we passed a few groups of cyclists who were biking down the mountain. Seemed chilly and a bit nerve-racking given some of the twists and turns in the road. The first day we drove up to the summit area we were so ill-prepared for the cold and showed up in shorts. Bad idea. Thanks for reading.
Wow! Such a variety of landscapes and ecosystems in one park. So neat!
All of Maui is like that. On one part of the island it’s as dry and barren as a desert. If you keep driving for a bit, on another part of the island it’s a lush green jungle teeming with plants and flowers.
Interesting! I’ve never made it to Hawaii but now I want to go even more!
We only had enough time to visit Maui. I would love to go back and spend more time on the other islands. Hopefully you’ll be able to visit sometime soon.
Awesome! Great pics
Thanks! I still can’t get over how much there is to do (both in and out of the water) on such a tiny island.
There’s certain magic when it comes to volcanic landscapes, isn’t! Although we haven’t been to Hawaii, we’ve had a chance to visit most of the Canary Islands and while there we explored the barren land trough various hikes. To be on trails with hot air coming trough the cracks in the ground is an experience to remember! Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva
Agreed. Hiking along the volcanic landscape makes me feel like I’m on another planet or something. Makes you realize how real the aftermath of a volcano’s eruption can be. We didn’t encounter any hot air rising from the cracks in the old lava flows in Maui – that would have been pretty eerie. I’d love to go to the Canary Islands one day. Thanks for reading.
Nice story and great images, thanks! Reminds me of the trip we took there back in 2015. The bamboo forest was surreal – especially when the breezes came through. Thanks for sharing and bringing back those great memories. Special place indeed.
We heard that the bamboo forest was one of the highlights of hiking along the Pipiwai Trail. I didn’t realize how massive the bamboo forest was. It was a pleasant surprise and well worth hiking along the muddy path. Glad this post was able to stir up fond memories of your trip to Maui.
In some higher places we visited on the Big Island, it has actually snowed. Your austere descriptions above remind me of them.
Lovely trip!
It really was. Maui is such a charming island with a diverse landscape. I wish I had more time to explore the other islands besides Maui though. Thanks for reading.
You’re welcome 😇
We didn’t hike far when we were up at the top as we had dressed for the weather but our teenagers were hungry and we had a family committment later in the day. I would love to go back again but like you I would like to see somewhere besides Maui or Oahu. The big island I think from what people say. Problem is it’s so expensive there that it never makes it high on the list of places to go.
Hawaii is expensive. It is also pretty far for us to travel to as there is no direct flight from Toronto (and that doesn’t even factor in the five hour time change). It was well worth the hassle though, but I wish we could have spent more time on vacation there.
You really are adventurous. The altitude would’ve done me in.
Hiking at altitude was quite the challenge. It didn’t help that you don’t feel much of a difference hiking down into the crater valley, but you’ll sure notice it on the hike back up. Thanks for reading.
I sure would have noticed it. I also noticed and appreciate that you kept the long-vowel marking at the end of Haleakalā.
So beautiful! I need to go to Hawaii one day! I can’t wait to do some nature hikes!
We just had enough time to visit one of the islands on Hawaii, but I would love to go back and explore some of the others. The landscape is so diverse and incredibly scenic. It was fantastic for hiking.
So great! Hawaii is so expensive so we will probably only go once. I’m waiting until I’m a better ukulele player to really make the most of my time there. I would go for some kind of ukulele festival, and of course hikings, swimming,etc.
That’s fair. We visited Maui during the off-season when prices were a bit better, but that was also before the pandemic when everything in general was significantly less expensive. It’s pretty neat that you’re learning to play the ukulele. Best of luck with getting better and hopefully you’re able to visit Hawaii soon!